Incivil Wars

“Um, hi. Is this the pharmacist I called earlier? It’s me, Dr. Cadesky. Listen, I’m really sorry that I yelled at you. I swear I’ve never done that before.”

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“Yeah, we’ve been so busy as well, trying to balance booked appointments with emergencies and dealing with faxes and phone calls. It feels like we’re all living on the edge of burnout.”

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“Well, I appreciate that. The fax can’t be easy for you either, but please call me next time there is a question about a prescription; that’s why I always include my direct number. We all work hard to advocate for our patients that the frustration boils over when it feels like someone isn’t doing their part even though the vast majority of us are doing the best we can.”

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“That’s true. Even if we never meet in person we are all part of a team that cares for someone; I wish we had a secure platform for communication or interoperable medical records, but we don’t. It’s just another work around in an outdated system.”

- Dr Eric Cadesky

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“Our words certainly matter. We need to be careful what we say to patients so it doesn’t look like we are insulting each other; it’s hard enough battling fear-based anti-science movements without casting doubt on what our fellow actual healthcare professionals are doing.”

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“Sorry to hear that you have another four hours in your shift; I hope it goes smoothly. I was seeing patients before 7am just to meet the demand and tonight I’ll spend a few hours charting in my EMR before bed. I’m not sure how sustainable this is, but we can all use more support and ways to help each other.”

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“I’m glad you feel that way. Have a good end-of-shift and a well-deserved rest.”

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“You too. I hope we’re both better tomorrow.”